National Guard on Alert in Connecticut for Flood Control

Published at 3:06 AM EDT on Mar 25, 2014

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(NECN: Brian Burnell, Stonington, Conn.) - The flooding is already so bad in some areas that neighborhoods are being evacuated as a precaution.

Norwich officials have declared a state ofemergency as the Yantic River continued to rise.

Earlier Tuesday, Stonington ordered an evacuation of some areasas a precaution against rising flood waters.

In addition, Gov. M. Jodi Rell placed the Connecticut NationalGuard on alert to help with local flood control and sandbaggingefforts if needed.

Rell, who is vacationing in Colorado, directed the stateDepartment of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Tuesday toadd 300,000 sandbags to the state's stockpile of 180,000.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning forurban areas and small streams in southern Connecticut until 4 p.m.Moderate to major river flooding is likely across New London Countyin southeastern Connecticut and moderate flooding is expectedelsewhere in the southern portions of the state.